AustLit

'On 1 May 1996, the Aboriginal community and the Australian nation lost a dynamic, constructive and courageous leader and a passionate advocate for justice. Since Rob Riley's tragic death, tributes from the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community have poured in. Inspirational, a warrior and champion for justice, compassionate, and visionary are words that have been used to describe this remarkable man.' (Introduction)

'Liza Kennedy belonged to the generation of Ngiyampaa people who were the last to be able to 'camp about' in their own country, their ngurrampaa or 'campworld' between Cobar and Ivanhoe in central western Ne w South Wales.' (Introduction)

'On 30 May 1996, Australian musicology lost one of its most prominent and original scholars, when, just a few days after her 61st birthday, Catherine Ellis died in Adelaide, where she had moved after her retirement in 1995 from the Chair of Music at the University of New England. Ellis was perhaps best known for her groundbreaking research on Australian Aboriginal music, but she touched the lives of those in many other fields, including music education, music therapy and Aboriginal studies, through her teaching, broadcasting, performances, and participation in conferences and committees' (Introduction)